


Arrangements

by Cherry_Bombshell (SixofCrowsBabies)



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Angst, Arranged Marriage, F/M, I think it is, Kinda, Multiple chapters, Slow Burn, is this the first fic about elio, the lodges are dicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 13:30:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16893519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SixofCrowsBabies/pseuds/Cherry_Bombshell
Summary: Veronica’s parents are struggling, so they arrange her marriage to Elio Lancaster.If only they knew the two already had a history.





	Arrangements

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this prompt and immediately thought of Veronica and Elio. And since NOBODY has written a fic about these two, I took it upon myself to do it. Also, I was originally going to just make it one long fic, but I wanted to get it published sooner, so here we are. Plus, what kind of slow burn would it be without multiple chapters??

“Veronica, honey,” Hermione Lodge says as she enters Veronica’s apartment. 

“Mom,” replies Veronica. “What are you doing here?”

Hermione shuts the door behind her and claps her hands. Veronica knows that this news will not be good.

“Honey, do you remember the Lancaster family?” asks Hermione. 

Veronica suddenly flashes back, back to her teenage years, back to the summer of 2010, so long ago...

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

16 year old Veronica Lodge walks into Pop’s Diner. There are a few customers scattered about, but she is currently only concerned with the man sitting at the counter. 

19 year old Elio Lancaster stares back at her. He is wearing a dark Polo shirt and perfectly fitted dress pants despite the heat. He smirks slightly and gestures to the seat next to him. 

She sits down on the stool, brushing out her skirt and setting her purse in her lap. 

“Enjoying your summer,” she asks him. 

“Trying to,” he replies. “Even though I’m technically out of college, the family business is keeping me occupied.”

Veronica nods and says, “Of course.”

“Are you enjoying your summer,” he asks. 

She nods and answers, “Despite the fact that there is an ungodly amount of summer reading, I can’t complain.”

He gives a small smile, then leans in close and murmurs in her ear, “Want to get out of here?”

“Where would we go,” she responds. “My parents are hosting the Vandiver family, you don’t exactly have a place here, I don’t know how comfortable my friends would be with-“

He raises a finger and states, “I know a place.”

He stands up and takes her hand. She stands and follows him. Instead of leading her to the front door, he takes her the opposite direction, towards the back of the restaurant. Nobody else notices as they go into the back and go through a door. They descend a flight of stairs and end up in a room that is empty, other than its carpet and a few spare tables and chairs. 

“How romantic,” remarks Veronica. 

Elio smiles a cheeky grin, then puts his hands on her face and kisses her. She eagerly responds, attempting to maneuver her tongue in. He smirks at her eagerness and parts his mouth, allowing her tongue access. 

They continue for a few more seconds, then Veronica begins pawing at his shirt. They break the kiss, and she pulls his shirt off of him. He looks at her bustier, and she takes the hint and removes it. 

They leave no time for staring, having seen it all before. For now they take off their shoes and pants and skirts, leaving them exposed before each other. 

After a bit of foreplay and a copious amount of the real action, they sit on the carpet, looking at the ground and at their surroundings. 

Veronica puts her head in her hand, then says, “This would be a great spot for a business…”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Veronica and Elio continued their fling throughout the summer, and for all she knows they might have continued it if it wasn’t for Elio going to college across the country. They pretended to be friends and business partners around their parents, but by themselves, they were friends and business partners with added benefits. Eventually, however, they just...stopped. Veronica began getting nervous about their situation. The Lodges were in a rough spot, and Elio’s family wouldn’t associate with them anymore. 

They haven’t seen each other since. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Yes, I remember them,” states Veronica. 

“Well,” her mother says. “As you know, our business is...going through a tough time.”

Veronica scoffs and says, “Yeah, you can say that again.”

“And I’m afraid right now our only solution to that problem is...a connection to another family.”

Hermione lets that sink in. Veronica looks at her mother, confused, then has a realization. 

“Oh no,” Veronica says. “Oh no, Mom, you don’t mean-“

“Yes, that is what I mean, mija,” Hermione answers. “We have arranged your marriage to Elio Lancaster.”

She looks at Veronica with a concerned, or possibly pitying, expression. 

“Me,” Veronica says, in a state of shock. “And Elio.” She pauses, swallows, then says, “Married.”

Hermione pats her daughter’s hand once, then picks up her purse and exits the apartment. Veronica slumps down into her chair and puts a hand to her temple. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Veronica knows that even though she moved out and got a real job, she’ll never truly be free from her family. It’s a thing she’s been cursed with. 

But an arranged marriage? Her being used as a pawn to get more money by being shipped off and married like a medieval peasant girl? What decade are we in?

But despite her protests and complete lack of consent, she feels somewhat...excited. Eager. She blames it on her curiosity, determined not to admit the fact that…

Well, of all the people to be married to, it could definitely be worse. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A few days later, Veronica gets her suitcases and goes to the front door of her apartment. She turns around, gives it one final goodbye, then shuts the door. 

Instead of hiring a private jet, the Lancasters have chosen to have her fly normally. She doesn’t know why, but she can’t really complain about it, so she gets a taxi to the airport and gets onto the plane. 

She takes out her journal and writes,  _ “November 21, 2018-Meeting husband for the first time in eight years.” _

During the plane ride to Chicago, Veronica reads part of her book, watches a bit of a movie, looks out the window...anything to get her mind off of her current situation. But when she does think about it, her stomach gets in awful knots and her hands shake a little and she feels like she will actually throw up. The smell of other people and the slight motion of the plane doesn’t help. 

Too soon and yet too late in her opinion, the plane lands. She gets her carry on bag, stands in the aisle, and slowly makes her way off the plane. She pulls her black coat tighter around her and walks a bit faster. 

When Veronica reaches the terminal, she takes one final deep breath, then begins looking around for her now-fiancé. 

After a few minutes of looking around, she finally sees him. 

Elio Lancaster stands there, dressed in a navy blue suit with a blue tie and Oxford shoes. Despite the fact that he is nearly eight years older than he was when Veronica saw him last, his face carries the same wrinkles, the same lines, the same thick eyebrows and flawless teeth, the same brown hair in a simple style. 

_ “God, he’s handsome,”  _ she thinks to herself. 

Veronica walks to him. While she is halfway across the room, he looks up and notices her. She deliberately keeps her eyes on the ground, but she sees the look that crosses his face. 

And it is a very good look. 

She only looks up when she stands right in front of him. 

“Elio,” she says, betraying no emotion. 

“Veronica,” he replies, using the same tone as her. 

They stare at each other for what feels like hours, until Elio suddenly leans down and kisses her. 

Veronica is, of course, shocked, but she doesn’t exactly  _ not  _ return the kiss. It comes naturally to them, the way it used to, the way is always has. 

After they separate, Veronica simply asks, “What was that?” 

“I-,” he starts. He pauses for a second, then says, “It’ll look good for the photographs.”

Veronica nods and looks at the ground again. Her fiancé takes her carry on from her hand and begins walking. She follows him, walking numbly through the airport, baggage claim, and the road outside. They go into the parking garage and get into a black SUV, him in the drivers’, her in the passengers’. 

He puts his hands on the wheel but doesn’t put the car in drive yet. 

“Veronica,” he starts. “I...I’m not exactly happy about this either.”

Veronica gives a slow nod as he pauses to collect his words. 

“But I don’t want things to be awkward between us,” he continues. “I understand if you hate me. I just...I wish it wasn’t like this.”

She is silent for a moment, then replies, “You kissed me. Why?”

“I thought it was obvious,” Elio answers. 

She doesn’t respond, and they sit in awkward silence before he says, “We’re going to be husband and wife shortly. I don’t want us to hate each other.”

“Okay,” is all Veronica says. 

He puts the car in gear and drives away. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

They arrive at a penthouse building in downtown Chicago. Veronica looks up at it, mouth agape. The building is huge and very expensive looking. Every place has a balcony. 

Elio drives them into the parking lot, which is filled with some of the nicest cars money can buy. A man dressed in a uniform rushes up to them and takes Veronica’s suitcases. When he looks at her, he looks a little surprised, but gives a polite nod and scurries away. 

“Not seen with girls often,” Veronica asks Elio teasingly. 

He gives a coy shrug. They walk a few feet towards the doors, then he sticks out his elbow in offering. 

She looks at it, then continues walking forwards. Elio puts his arm down and looks at the back of her head with a saddened expression. Veronica notices it but chooses to ignore it. 

They walk past the front desk, Elio nodding at the attendant, and get in the elevator. They stand a respectful distance away from each other, staring at the doors and walls. 

When the elevator doors open, Veronica can’t help but gasp. The elevator leads directly into a living room with a high ceiling and floor to ceiling windows. The living room is half open to the kitchen, which is filled with stainless steel appliances and smooth marble countertops. Above them, there is a mezzanine, revealing part of the second floor. The entire place has a white and gold theme. 

“Wow,” Veronica breathes. 

Elio walks past her and sits down on the huge white couch. He crosses his arms and puts his feet up on the coffee table. 

She stands there awkwardly for a few seconds, then asks, “Aren’t you going to...show me around?”

He doesn’t look at her, just says, “You can show yourself. It belongs to you now, after all.”

Veronica pretends to be less hurt than she actually is. She grabs the suitcases that were dropped off and begins heading towards the spiral staircase. 

“Where should I sleep,” she asks. 

He looks up at her and states, “The master’s at the very end of the hall.”

Veronica presses her mouth into a line, then replies, “I...don’t know if I’m quite ready for that yet.”

He pauses for a second, then coldly says, “Alright. Largest guest bedroom’s the last one on the left.”

She nods awkwardly and starts heading up the stairs. She goes down the hallway and into the last door on the left. 

The bedroom is, of course, enormous and luxe and much better than anywhere she has slept in a long time. Veronica sets her suitcase on the bed, then lets out a long sigh. 

This is really happening. She’s really getting married to Elio. 

And if the afternoon is any indication, this marriage is not going well so far. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments and kudos I just idk man please do it


End file.
